davisn456
Member
I've been away from the forums for quite some time, but I thought I'd try to get started back up and try to become an active member again by sharing a story about Millie, a military macaw that I've had the privilege of providing a temporary home for.
A relative of mine has been experiencing some difficult conditions at home due to some marriage problems. During this period of time, he decided that he would get a new bird. In my opinion, that was a mistake, but he was convinced that he wanted to do it. He had a cockatoo several years ago that he had to get rid of due to being deployed in the military, but now that he's retired, he's home enough to take care of a bird again. But, his wife is not at all into birds. She's actually quite terrified of them. And for whatever reason, he decided to start looking for a bird again, and he ended up getting Millie.
Millie is a sweet bird, very loving, cuddly, and calm. But also sometimes quite ornery, just like a macaw should be. He really became attached to this bird quickly, and they became best buds. But, his wife, just like last time, absolutely refused to attempt to get to know the bird or even tolerate her, and routine fights were happening around the house over Millie.
So, my cousin decided he couldn't keep Millie any longer, and asked me if I had any interest in having a 2nd bird. I wasn't particularly looking for a 2nd bird, but considering the situation, it was a little difficult to say no. So I adopted Millie at the end of June. We got along great. Millie was friendly to me right off the bat, and things were going fine. My other bird, Frankie, wasn't particularly crazy about getting along with Millie, but I figured I could make things work one way or another.
This week, my cousin called, and he's decided that he want's Millie back. Apparently his wife and their home situation didn't improve whatsoever after he got rid of Millie, and so he decided that if he's going to be miserable anyway, he might as well have his bird.
I have mixed feelings about the situation. For one thing, having two birds has been a bit of a handful for me. I'm single, and giving enough attention to two birds takes a lot of time. Plus, having to keep them separated because of fighting hasn't been easy either. So, in some ways, I'm actually somewhat relieved that he's taking Millie back. But, I'm going to miss her. She's much more affectionate than my other bird, Frankie, so having that cuddly critter to play with is something that I'm really going to miss. And, I worry about what kind of problems this situation is going to create at their house as well.
If anything, I hope this serves as a lesson to those of you that may be looking to get a new bird. They really do change your household, just like a new child would, so you have to be prepared for that. And, if things aren't exactly "stable" at home, it's probably not a good idea.
Here are a few pics of the birds:
A relative of mine has been experiencing some difficult conditions at home due to some marriage problems. During this period of time, he decided that he would get a new bird. In my opinion, that was a mistake, but he was convinced that he wanted to do it. He had a cockatoo several years ago that he had to get rid of due to being deployed in the military, but now that he's retired, he's home enough to take care of a bird again. But, his wife is not at all into birds. She's actually quite terrified of them. And for whatever reason, he decided to start looking for a bird again, and he ended up getting Millie.
Millie is a sweet bird, very loving, cuddly, and calm. But also sometimes quite ornery, just like a macaw should be. He really became attached to this bird quickly, and they became best buds. But, his wife, just like last time, absolutely refused to attempt to get to know the bird or even tolerate her, and routine fights were happening around the house over Millie.
So, my cousin decided he couldn't keep Millie any longer, and asked me if I had any interest in having a 2nd bird. I wasn't particularly looking for a 2nd bird, but considering the situation, it was a little difficult to say no. So I adopted Millie at the end of June. We got along great. Millie was friendly to me right off the bat, and things were going fine. My other bird, Frankie, wasn't particularly crazy about getting along with Millie, but I figured I could make things work one way or another.
This week, my cousin called, and he's decided that he want's Millie back. Apparently his wife and their home situation didn't improve whatsoever after he got rid of Millie, and so he decided that if he's going to be miserable anyway, he might as well have his bird.
I have mixed feelings about the situation. For one thing, having two birds has been a bit of a handful for me. I'm single, and giving enough attention to two birds takes a lot of time. Plus, having to keep them separated because of fighting hasn't been easy either. So, in some ways, I'm actually somewhat relieved that he's taking Millie back. But, I'm going to miss her. She's much more affectionate than my other bird, Frankie, so having that cuddly critter to play with is something that I'm really going to miss. And, I worry about what kind of problems this situation is going to create at their house as well.
If anything, I hope this serves as a lesson to those of you that may be looking to get a new bird. They really do change your household, just like a new child would, so you have to be prepared for that. And, if things aren't exactly "stable" at home, it's probably not a good idea.
Here are a few pics of the birds:
Sorry for your cousin, AND sorry for you!! I truly wish he'd get his 'family issues' resolved first, as I think you're right, bringing Millie back isn't going to smooth things over with his wife any quicker (most likely the opposite).
